I am passionate about education in ALL forms, regardless of your profession or lifestyle. Excellent nursing demands constant learning, and it’s essential for the ICU. After about a year of nursing, I noticed that I hit a lull; I was still learning something every shift, but the constant stream of information that I was used to had started to slow. This girl was hungry for knowledge and eager to do anything it took to build my nursing confidence! Over the next few years, I began working through every resource I could get my hands on. I’ve compiled my favorite ICU nurse resources for your browsing pleasure! Check out the detailed list below!
#1: Straight A Nursing
The Straight A Nursing podcast is designed to cover an extensive range of nursing subjects, from OB to ER to ICU. It discusses specific diagnoses (using the author’s original LATTE method), current events in the nursing world, tips for studying for the NCLEX and managing your first year as a new grad. This podcast is a great resource regardless of nursing specialty and remains a good review even as an experienced nurse!
Created by “Nurse Mo,” the Straight A Nursing website also has a blog, online review courses, and study guides for new grads. She’s even in the process of creating a study app for nursing students! Mo has her master’s degree in nursing education and has years of experience in the ICU setting. Even experienced nurses will benefit from her website and podcast. I enjoy listening to her podcasts while folding laundry, commuting between travel assignments, etc. Mo has organized her podcasts into playlists to help you find the episodes that are most relevant for your nursing experience. Her podcast is my FAVORITE resource, hands down!
You can listen to her podcast for free on Spotify, iTunes, Google Podcasts, and Sticher. She has 265 podcast episodes uploaded on Apple Podcasts, and I’ve listened to 241 of them!
Note: Straight A Nursing’s paid products are currently 20% off for Black Friday 2022!
My top 5 favorite Straight A Nursing episodes:
- Basics of Shock
- Let’s Break Down Rhabdomyolysis
- Sepsis Bundle NCLEX Review
- Change the Way You Study with the LATTE Method
- V/Q Mismatch Explained Simply
#2: FreshRN
Another incredible podcast is FreshRN by Kati Kleber, an award-winning nurse educator and experienced critical care nurse. Kati designed her podcast for new grad nurses, especially in their first year, but any ICU nurse looking to grow their knowledge could benefit from FreshRN. Kati specialized in neuro ICU, so lots of her episodes reflect that knowledge. The FreshRN podcasts provide fantastic well-rounded tips for new grad ICU nurses in their first year. Kati also teaches various online courses via her website; options include “Charge Nurse Jumpstart,” “ICU Drips for Beginners,” “ECG Mastery,” and more! She has written five books (available on her website here).
You can find her podcast on Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher, and iHeartRadio. She has 88 episodes uploaded, and her full list can be viewed here!
My top 3 recommended FreshRN episodes:
- Tips for New Grads in the ICU
- Intensive Care Devices (Part One and Part Two)
- How to Study for the CCRN
#3: ICU Advantage
Originally started as a YouTube channel, the ICU Advantage website is the brainchild of Eddie Watson, a 10-year RN and Army veteran. His YouTube channel has over 14 million views and is a treasure trove of professional lectures that dive deep into critical care nursing, respiratory care, and pharmacology. ICU Advantage’s videos are designed specifically for ICU practitioners, so experienced nurses can easily find new information in his playlists.
Eddie teaches viewers about pulmonary artery catheters (Swan-Ganz), intraabdominal pressure monitoring, vent modes, CRRT, and more! You can find information about almost any ICU device on his channel, no matter how specialized. His lessons on hemodynamics and shock were vital to my success on the CCRN exam! If you are an experienced ICU nurse or find the previous podcasts too easy, the ICU Advantage channel is the place to go. His ICU nurse resources are unmatched. Click the images below to check out some of Eddie’s lessons!
#4 Core IM Podcast
The Core IM podcast focuses on putting complex internal medicine topics into digestible formats. It is run by doctors and medical students across the country, and they take turns teaching on topics that they are interested in! These podcast episodes are VERY thorough and require a certain level of medical knowledge beforehand. Personally, I find them most helpful to listen to after I had a shift with a similar patient diagnosis. If I had a patient in HIT (heparin-induced thrombocytopenia), I might listen to Core IM’s podcast lesson on my way home!
Their podcasts are organized by series on the website. They have categories such as 5 Pearls, At The Bedside, Hoofbeats, and Mind The Gap! The 5 Pearls category is my favorite because it breaks a diagnosis down into 5 clinical “pearls” that you should remember. The creators intentionally slow down during difficult sections, use purposeful repetition for emphasis, and offer quiz questions throughout each podcast. Each episode has show notes with helpful images and a written breakdown of the lecture!
Note: The Core IM podcast is designed for medical residents, NOT primarily nurses. However, nurses at an advanced level or who have worked through the above resources would find value in this content. ICU nurses might find this resource more helpful than other specialties. Some of the episodes are too challenging for my level, so I attached my favorites below! I listen to their podcasts on iTunes and Spotify.
- Alcohol-Associated Hepatitis
- 5 Pearls on Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia
- 5 Pearls on Inpatient Heart Failure
- Fluids: 5 Pearls Segment
- Mind The Gap: Blood Cultures